Ahram Online, by Azza Radwan Sedky
As I read the new poll conducted by The Thomson Reuters Foundation, released only a few days back, I grappled with the logic and the rational behind the results.
The survey asked “15 experts” specializing in women’s issues in 19 megacities how well women are protected from sexual violence and harmful cultural practices and whether they have good access to healthcare, finance, and education. Cairo was rated the worst overall. In terms of women risking being exposed to sexual harassment, Cairo ranked the third worst megacity. In other words, and according to the poll, Cairo is the “most dangerous” megacity for women.
We can agree with the poll that “harmful cultural practices” such as female genital mutilation is rampant in Egypt though by far less in Cairo. But wasn’t it the Human Rights Watch that said that “More stringent penalties for female genital mutilation approved by Egypt’s parliament on August 31, 2016, are a step toward eliminating the practice”? The new penalties are prison terms of five to seven years for those who carry out female genital mutilation and up to 15 years if the mutilation causes permanent disability or death. Thomson Reuters, though FGM is banned in Egypt, “cultural practices” take time to be eradicated.
As far as access to healthcare, women are equal to men in this field. Both genders don’t receive the healthcare they deserve. Still, I would call on the Thomson Reuters Foundation to refer to the 1.8 million Egyptians that have been cured of Hepatitis C in the last two years. Hepatitis C patients, males and females, were treated for free with an efficacy rate of 98 percent. If the Thomson Reuters Foundation would refer to such a success rate, then the survey would be fair and acceptable.
The poll states outright that Cairo is the most dangerous city because of sexual harassment and violence. Here I need to pause, take a deep breath, and try to fathom the results and their implications.
I was young once. Didn’t I take the metro and the black taxis all over Cairo? Didn’t I work in an office and attend lectures at a university? Yes, I rarely went out at night, but I lived a normal, unexciting life. And yet I felt safe. But that’s way back when, I tell myself.
I have a daughter who worked in the suburb of Maadi, took the metro, and walked a good distance to reach our apartment. Was I ever worried that she may be sexually harassed, abducted, or, heaven forbid, kidnapped? Again, I tell myself, it must be different now.
How about her male relatives, her father and her brother? Were they ever suppressive, abusive, or demoralizing? Did they beat her, or me for that matter? And yet she, too, felt safe. Maybe it’s different now, I tell myself again.
What about today? Did she not go shopping along Nozha Street, buy falafel, and feteer (Egyptian pancake), and get her watch fixed all as she walked alone on the “dangerous” streets of Cairo? Did she not stop to buy magazines and children cartoon books for her child?
What about my nieces and friends’ daughters, do they avoid going out and limit their goings and comings because they fear harassment?
What about my son, nephews, and friends’ sons, do they go around groping and fondling women?
Do I live a sheltered life? Do I have no clue how the rest of Cairo is living? But if Cairo is the most dangerous city, then the people I know would have been tainted by the same poison, right?
Sexual violence is another issue why the poll ranked Cairo as the worst megacity. Again, I asked myself if I knew of any women who were beaten by their husbands. I do; my mother’s caretaker was beaten by her husband often, but by the same token, she beat him back, despite the fact that she knew he was suffering from dementia. Still, I tell myself that the “experts” must know better, and I reiterate, “I must live a sheltered life.”
I do not doubt that women are harassed, abused and violated against in Cairo, but I doubt that it is any worse than any other city. Women are harassed, sexually abused everywhere, and the #metoo hashtag has drawn comments from women all over the world.
Is it right? Absolutely not, but maybe, just maybe, the “15 experts” didn’t get it. Maybe, just maybe, we are faring better than regions considered far better than Cairo.
Jian Ghomeshi, a well-known, former Canadian CBC broadcaster, was, in 2015, arrested for sexual abuse allegations, charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking. Though the trial shook Canada, Jian Ghomeshi was acquitted for lack of evidence; this despite the number of complainants who came forward.
Bill Cosby, the tv icon known for his fatherly role on “The Cosby Show,” was charged by 59 women of rape, drug facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct. Though the first round acquitted Cosby, the lawyer for the plaintiffs said, ’It’s not over yet, Mr. Cosby,” planning to continue the fight.
Other sexual harassment suits are surfacing. Thirteen women have come forward with harrowing stories of sexual assault against Harry Weinstein, the founder of Miramax in Hollywood. According to the New Yorker, at annual awards ceremonies, Weinstein “has been thanked more than almost anyone else in movie history, ranking just after Steven Spielberg and right before God.”
The New Yorker was explicit:
Three of the women…told me that Weinstein had raped them…,Four women said that they had experienced unwanted touching that could be classified as an assault… In an audio recording, Weinstein admits to groping a Filipina-Italian model …describing it as behavior he is “used to.” Four of the women I interviewed cited encounters in which Weinstein exposed himself or masturbated in front of them.
Two of the biggest Canadian entertainment figures are facing similar accusations. Gilbert Rozon, founder of “Just for Laughs,” a hilariously funny program on Canada’s CBC had nine women come forward with allegations of harassment and sexual assault. Salomé Corbo, a Quebec actress said that Rozon assaulted her at a party in 1990 when she was a mere teenager.
Eric Salvi, a TV and radio host and producer, is also facing similar sexual misconduct allegation. According to the National Post, Éric Salvail , Quebec’s most popular male TV personality, “was the subject of a La Presse investigation alleging that he sexually harassed 11 male and female colleagues.” Ten women came forward to describe sexual harassment, inappropriate or sexual touching and unwanted comments.
I would be the first to say that Egyptian women would not come forward with similar accusations. Modesty does not allow them to be that explicit, but maybe I should ask these “15 experts” who sighted Cairo as the most dangerous city if they can recall or reference similar accusations to the ones sited above but this time in “dangerous Cairo.”
Thomson Reuters, Cairo may not be the safest city, but I suggest you draw your conclusions from more reliable sources.
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